What a gift was the life and work of Ennio Morricone, who died today at 91. He wrote over 500 film scores. They intersect with the New Story in at least two ways.
* The meaning of the films he scored - like the difference between colonial religion and the religion of service in The Mission, the mournful regret for wasted lives in Bugsy, Once Upon a Time in America, the burden of women in building nations with no credit in Once Upon a Time in the West, the willingness to forgo revenge in The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly, the selfishness of individualism in Days of Heaven, and the depth of joy, grief, and purpose in Cinema Paradiso.
* The way his music made us feel - even if we were numb, he could awaken us; if we were angry, he could get to the fear and sadness underneath; if we needed a reminder of love, he embodied the cliché that is sometimes true - and in his case, his own: he pulled at our heartstrings, and made them sing.
Some of his loveliest music is in the video below.
